Kazuo Ishiguro's Novels Ranked: Worst to Best
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro is my absolute favourite author. With his new novel Klara and the Sun on the horizon, here is my ranking of his novels, from worst to best!
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I want to be your grandmother. Omigosh. I just want to bake you brownies and sit and listen to you talk about books.
Omg you are the sweetest, thank you. My grandmother is rubbish so I'll happily take you on as a replacement.
Can you be my grandmother as well? 🥺❤️🌈
@@ashwinglittus9637 of course!
My grandmother is unwell
Made me sad.
World's best grandma!
My second time through this after reading Klara and the Sun. Wow. I can't decide where to go next. So much to look forward to. Thanks again!
My first Ishiguro book i read was “Artist” in 2009. I liked it a lot, and eventually led me to his other works. I still haven’t read all of his works, but this would be my list so far.
Klara: great book. I would recommend to anyone, especially those with a shorter attention span, but easily at the bottom. I read that it was initially written for children, and that rings true for me.
Artist: i really dont have anything negative to say about this book, i just think some of his other books do it better.
Orphans: apparently this is an unpopular opinion, but i think this is one of his best. Ive never read a book quite like it. I loved the surrealism that built up near the end, with a dream like quality. I still think of “scenes” from this book all the time.
Remains: this book is one the few works of art in my life that left an immeasurable impact on me. I was one way, then I experienced this story, and i was another way. Its so meticulously crafted, it’s difficult to describe. There’s a certain subtlety to the storytelling that is astonishing. It has a bit of a “twist” near the end, but its really not, because it isnt abrupt. He gently glides the reader along, peeling back layers that form a knot in ones stomach that becomes increasingly tighter, until the final blow hits you.
Thanks so much, Willow. Heading on to your review of Klara and the Sun!
You need to read The Unconsoled- it’s like a weird dream of immense complexity. Take your time it will change your life.
Been Reading Ishiguro since 1986.
Hope you review he’s latest novel
I haven't read any of his books yet unfortunately, but this video will be a great starting point!
Agreed
Great video. Never Let Me Go is my all time favourite book. So very excited to read Klara and the Sun. Funny comment about his book titles. I'm gonna think about that some more!
I discovered Ishiguro after reading Klara and the Sun, and soon found my way to your video. It inspired me to read more of his books and see how I liked them, and I found I liked them so much - most of them at any rate - that I kept reading them until I ran out (of novels that is, I didn’t read Nocturnes).
So here’s my ranking, from least to most favorite:
8. Unconsoled (the last book I read, experimental writing exercise, strongly disliked)
7. The Buried Giant (weak all around)
6. When we were Orphans (good enough read but weak protagonist and pro forma ending)
5. Never let me Go (great premise but flat execution)
4. An artist of the Floating World (probably his best book to date, but too languid for me)
3. A Pale View of Hills (simpler but more intense than Artist)
2. Remains of the Day (guilty pleasure, final meeting of Stevens and Miss Denton put me over)
1. Klara and the Sun (modest but sublime, a book I will always remember)
Great video, Ishiguro is by far my favorite author too.
Here is my quick ranking from worst to first:
9. The Unconsoled--I hated this book, it reminded me of a terrible nightmare I had when I was about 17. It hit me pretty strongly at the end though, and left me deeply depressed for days. I suppose that means the author really hit on something. This is more of a personal ranking as it just didn't work for me like his other books.
8. Nocturnes--I'm not a huge fan of short stories but there's some good writing here. But no way they can compare with his other novels.
7. When We Were Orphans--this is the first novel of his I read and I loved it, obviously, it kept me coming back for more. I do feel that this novel very much uses the "unreliable narrator" as he doesn't seem to be fully aware of what others think of him and he clearly is mistaken when he thinks he reunites with his childhood friend late in the story (sorry if this is a spoiler for anyone).
6. A Pale View of Hills--I agree with much of what you said; there's the big moment at the end but everything leading up to that is just great to read.
5. Never Let Me Go--this is a great book and it's best not to know anything about it before you read it. I didn't know what it was "about" for probably over 100 pages but part of what was so great about the reading experience was discovering what was so special about those kids.
4. Klara and the Sun--hard to rank this one since it's so fresh in my mind, I didn't want it to end. Again, the reader doesn't know everything that's going on for long stretches of the book but the details aren't really the point, it's much more about emotion (at least to me).
3. An Artist of the Floating World--You summed this up quite well. I particularly enjoyed his relationships with his daughter and grandson late in his life.
2. The Remains of the Day--easily his most accessible book and his most straightforward. To me this book is about the cost of achieving greatness. Yes, Stephens is a butler, but he aspired to be a great butler and his dedication to greatness resulted in him missing out on other aspects of life.
1. The Buried Giant--I'm not trying to be a contrarian here, this is genuinely my favorite of his novels. We don't know what the buried giant is until the big wow moment (that occurs on page 297 of my paperback copy). And then the ending which answers such a big question from early in the novel is so great. I get it that this isn't perfect for everyone but it's one of my all time favorites as are all of the top five listed here.
Thanks for making these videos. I enjoy what your doing here very much.
I love this list! I've also put Klara at my number 4 as well but, as you say, it's still very fresh. The Buried Giant does seem to be a lot of people's fave and I think that's really cool!
Big agree about the Buried Giant. I thought it was tremendous, such a beautiful, multi-layered story
I watched this video yesterday right after your March vid, and immediately downloaded Remains of the Day. OMG. I'm still reading but I believe I owe you a huge debt of gratitude - Ishiguro may very well take the place of my favorite author! I'm hanging on every delicious word. I think I'll be setting off on my own journey, exploring all his works. ❤️
I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear that! I'm reading his newest novel right now, and I should have a video about it up this weekend. I worship every word he writes.
@@WillowTalksBooks looking forward to your review!!
I finally read a pale view of the hills last night. Thank you thank you thank you for your book reviews. I can’t wait to read the next Ishiguro book…haven’t decided which one to read next. I loved loved loved the ending.
You're so welcome and I'm thrilled that this is the one you read! We need more love for APVOH!
I just stumbled upon Ishiguro. I'm a philosophy major in university, and I was looking for a current fiction book that tackles philosophical themes. One book that seemed to come up often was Klara and the Sun. I read it a couple of weeks ago and ADORED it. The writing was so simple yet moving. Ishiguro's style really resonates with me. I love the worlds he is able to paint with only the slightest brush strokes, how we are clued in piece by piece. Throughout the book, when a new little detail came to light, I would go back and reread earlier passages questioning my own previous perceptions. I'm still conflicted about the ending. Its a book I know I'll treasure. Many reviews mentioned never let me go, so I'm reading it now. I stayed up late last night totally enthralled. I think I've found a new favorite author! My plan is to read a pale view of hills next!
I'm absolutely thrilled to hear this, and I love your brush strokes metaphor. That's really beautiful and I totally agree! Glad he's become your favourite, too!
@@WillowTalksBooks Thank you!
Just finished The Buried Giant. My 2nd Ishiguro novel. I've been extremely busy and I struggled with parts of the novel, but I will say that it improves towards the end and the final 20 pages or so are as good as anything written. I'm not a young man, and my wife and I have a single child, a grown son, so I identified with the main character.
Thank you for your intelligent, enthusiastic commentary.
That's very lovely to hear. I think it's time for a reread of that book for me. It's been years and it was also my first experience with Ishiguro.
Completely agree with your #1 and #2. You’re a great presenter as well, I love your passion and energy!
Oh thank you so much! I do love what I do.
Following up on my last comment here. The Remains Of The Day was great, a perfect literary novel in my opinion. I also just started Norwegian Wood as my first Murakami book and loving it so far. And LASTLY... I'm currently obsessed with Converge lol. Thank you for all you do!
You’re very welcome, Buckfutter 😊
I started with Ishiguro with A Pale View of the Hills. I was in my first year of Uni, I was reading Time Magazine’s 2007 (?) list of Best English Novels of All Time and Never Let Me Go was on that list. that book was only published in 2005 and that just got me so curious - how is a book that was recently published make it on a list of best novels with all these other classic novels? From there I decided to go look up his titles and decided to read his debut novel - A Pale View… - and just got hooked. My mind was blown when I read that twist towards the end and I never looked back.
I remember feeling the same way! He manages to write true "instant classics" and APVOH really does have the most impactful twist. I remember reading the single sentence where the twist is delivered over and over again like, am I reading this right? What an impact!
I don’t have any clue on where to start Kazuo Ishiguro and your video is actually helpful in finding me one🌸 so thank you❤️
You're very welcome! I hope you have fun on your Ishiguro adventure!
Thank you for making this video! Kazuo Ishiguro has recently become one of my favourite novelists. I've read The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go and the Buried Giant. Glad I started with Never Let me go. It's not the best of his works but I can see what is good about it. I was simply not moved by the story. The Remains of the Day, however, sets in an era that I am completely unfamiliar with but is incredibly touching for me. Then I read The Buried Giant, wish to get the same feeling while I was reading Remains, very much disappointed :( Good news is now I'm enjoying Klara and it might become my second favourite Ishiguro book!
I only read The remains of the day.
I was searching for Never let me go, but they didn't have a copy on the book shop so i bought The remains of the day (i bought Never let me go a couple of months after but never read it till now).
I remember thinking, i'm not interested in this (because it starts with his life as butler with detail) but suddenly i was totally hooked by the writing and the characters, there are so many deeply buried feelings that it's impossible to not feel empathy for them. And i loved the ending
I just found your channel today and I'm loving your videos!! Would you ever make a video on your favorite contemporary female japanese authors? I loved your take on Yoko Ogawa (I adored Memory Police and also just read Out by Natsuo Kirino) and I'd love some more recommendations along those lines.
I'm actually planning on that exact video very soon! I already have a few articles covering that area, which you can read, but I will absolutely be doing a video covering my favourite female Japanese authors. All my favourite authors are Japanese women so it'll be a big, enthusiastic video for sure!
@@WillowTalksBooks oh my gosh that's so exciting!! I'll be looking forward to it 😄
Out of the most of the videos I've watched of you, this is the one that got me laughing so hard. Lol Your subtle one liners are just so funny. I went to bed and had this played and instead of nodding, I kept laughing!
sorry but what was the massive plot twist ending at the end of a pale view of hills? I just finished it and i found the ending very underwhelming and didn't understand what the plot twist was meant to be.
Artist of the floating world has been stuck in my mind since last year when I first read it. That ending man. ooft.
Thank you for doing this! I read When We Were Orphans years ago and it's pretty... well... you know... it's pretty...
Anyway, I have never touched an Ishiguro since. Sounds like I should definitely give it a go :)
I love Ishiguro and my ranking is very similar to yours. English is my second language so I thought I didn’t like buried giant because I didn’t have enough background knowledge about Britain like King Arther legend but maybe it wasn’t the only reason😅 When we were orphans was a difficult read and I can’t say it’s my favorite but it has a special place in my heart. I thought the story was about the insecurity of people who were born between two cultures. I’m ethnic Korean born in Japan (3rd generation) and I understood the protagonist’s needs to to prove himself to people of mainstream, always trying to fit in, always self conscious of how people are evaluating him. .. The scene in which he struggled through the battle field and no matter how hard he tried he didn’t seem to be getting closer to the goal broke my heart. we are cultural orphans in a way. Anyhow, I love your reviews. Thank you always for giving us such great and passionate reviews.
I'm embarrassed to say I never read the book that way but I think you're probably right! You've made me want to go back and read it again. Thank you so much for your perspective!
❤Wow. Cultural orphans. What a concept. But you can feel that way living in the US only. When I travel to other countries I sometimes feel more myself than I do at home. There is a crushing pressure to change in the US -- to abandon one's initial introduction to it's culture -- and there are so many good things about it that are no longer understood or valued.❤
What do you think about Lee Min Jin?
Oddly enough, The Remains of the Day was my first book of Ishiguro as I had to read it for my English Lit class. Then, I read Artist of the Floating World as I was studying Japanese at the same time, too. And I thought that it was Remains set in Japan - I didn't know that they were written the other way around. It felt decidedly British to me. The culture and cityscape described were not late Meiji to early Showa-period (1900s to 1940s) Tokyo but Edwardian and 1920s London. I love the book for its decidedly English Tokyo (he is a British writer whose texts fall flat when they try to describe Japanese history set in Japan in earnest. I detested When we were orphans: the whole discussion of Japanese imperialism and sexual slavery by a rather naive English detective was harrowing.) I had the misfortune to watch Never let me go on my flight to Tokyo. It kept me from actually reading the book. My issues were with Keira Kneightly and a doe-eyed Carey Mulligan who flattened the whole premise for me; the cravitas of the situation was lost. All in all: I love his books. And my favourite book is Frankenstein, too. ❤️
I didnt even know who Ishiguro was til today...love your videos after watching your murakami video.
I'm currently reading my second Kazuo Ishiguro book, The Buried Giant. It's... well, it's interesting but it probably won't be a 5-star read. And I really liked Never Let Me Go, it was my first Ishiguro's book that I read. The Buried Giant is weird, dream-like, different from Never Let Me Go. It's hard to describe but it reminds me of Hobbit and LotR (I haven't read LotR trilogy, I've only read the half of the first book and then Hobbit).
It always got me excited when someone talks about something/someone he/she really likes. For example, this video of your love for Ishiguro made me more excited to read his works. He is an interesting author and I will read more of him after I've read The Buried Giant.
I mean lord of the rings is lucky to have a good adaption, if stufflike bombadil and some him , there is alot pretty nice world exploring.
And maggot tells the wrath off, not tell him, and the epilogue is way longer with the war coming to the shire , but themovirs were pretty long already.
Else its pretty good in adapting. So the movies kinda are agood replacement .
The remains of the day is one of my all time favourites so I will read Artist of the floating world ASAP. Thanks
I've only read Never let me go, remains of the day, and Klara and the sun. Ishiguro is one of my favourite authors but I know I've already read 3 of his best and I'm not prepared to be disappointed by the rest of them
I can't guarantee you'll love them as much as I did but you still have An Artist of the Floating World and A Pale View of Hills to enjoy!
I've never been able to decide if I love Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go more.
Love love your channel! You have mentioned the movie Never let me go as a bad adaptation (which is very common). I am re-reading Blindness by Jose Saramago and wonder if you have read it or watched the book. I think is one of the best book adaptations ever made!
We are decades apart in age, different nationalities and live on opposite sides of the world but I found myself nodding along with most of this - including that Ishiguro is one of the greatest living writers today and including, probably, the ranking of the books. My favourite is actually ‘The Remains’, and I return to it every year or so for another read, but I totally appreciate your argument here.
That said, I’ve only recently finished reading ’Klara’ and I think it belongs in the top 3.
haha wow I was not expecting to hear about Converge in this video!! I'm into hardcore, but still haven't gotten into them yet. Guess I'll have to give it another go now! Great insight into Ishiguro also, really looking forward to The Remains Of The Day :)
Please try 'A Fan's Notes' by Frederick Exley , if you can , my absolute favourite ever novel . . . would LOVE 2 hear you're review 1day ?
Artist was my favourite until I read the Unconsoled when it came out - it is so far ahead of anything else he has written and really shows what he is capable of- it’s in a different league to the rest. So Artist is second for me, Never let me go 3rd and Nocturnes 4th. Remains is 5th for me, though I think it’s dull and really just retelling the Artist story. Pale View next and my bottom two are the same as yours - Buried Giant being one of the worst books I’ve ever read - so bad that I almost didn’t buy Klara. So I think what I wanted to say was as, our lists have a lot in common you REALLY MUST read the Unconsoled!
Wow, you've really sold it to me! So many other comments have talked about how unreadable The Unconsoled is. But I've been hearing for years about how amazingly divisive that book is and the comments don't lie! I'll definitely be reading it soon, though, and I'm very hopeful!
I read the remains of the day first…I do love his writing. I will have to check what I have not read…but I have read many. Will watch and comment
The Remains Of The Day is one of my favourite books of all time; I love Ishiguro (Jane Austen is my favourite author though). Off the top of my head I'd say Hilary Mantel and Ta-Nehisi Coates are our best living authors; Coates has only written one fictional piece but I'm talking about his mastery of the language. I see you have Bring Up The Bodies behind you--I would love a review! I read over and over simply to marvel at and enjoy her craftsmanship, never mind the story which managed to be intriguing even though we know how it ends. I found Wolf Hall a difficult read but worth all the effort.
I'm a boomer applauding the next generation--I often say we're in good hands based on the kids I have worked with in this rural very conservative area of Canada. I don't recall being so aware or intelligent or articulate as they are. Certainly I was "too" sensitive (deemed anyway) but these teens are brilliant and plain lovely.
LOL I didn't mind the Never Let Me Go movie but yes, I enjoyed the book more. Didn't mind The Buried Giant.
Ah Coates is an absolute marvel! I didn't love The Water Dancer but Between The World And Me and his Black Panther comics are astonishing. Nice to meet a fan!
You're also in luck, I just finished Wolf Hall and am uploading a review of it tomorrow.
Nice to know a boomer with as much faith in the kids as I have. I'm a millennial who is putting a lot of hope in Gen Z. They're the future. I hated being a teacher but I love the next generation.
I just read The Remains of The Day because of you, haven’t read other Ishiguro’s books but I agree it has to be no.1
Yup, you’ve definitely just read his best book :)
Have you now read The Unconsoled? I,too, love Kafka's work.
Yup, did a video on it like 18 months ago
@@WillowTalksBooks I'll check it out.
After watching this I read Never Let me Go and loved it. It left me quite hollow (in a good way), it was so disturbing. My favourite book at the moment.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it so much!
I dunno.. I'm reading never let me go currently in page125 cuz someone said it's one of the best scifi of 2000 so far not impressed, the older books really are objectively better
Yesss , finallyyy.
I didn't see any more of your beautiful videos.what happened?
I release four videos a week :)
You're absolutely right, Ukyo-e did become popular in the Edo period as sort of pornographic poster art, by the Meiji period it fell off because the Japanese considered it low art. However, the French impressionist got their hands on it and absolutely loved it, so it become wildly spread in Europe and later in America. So, through the eyes of foreigners, the Japanese recognized the value of ukyo-e, both artistic and monetary and it got massively produced in the late Meiji and Taisho period, developing into shin hanga and later influencing manga and anime.
I love how you convinced yourself in real time that in fact When We Were Orphans was his worst book. I just reread The Buried Giant and was much more impressed this time than when it first came out.
That's all the motivation I need to read it again!
The Buried Giant's ending is one if the best I've ever read. One of my favorite books. Definitely not his worst.
@@enemycapital Yeah I realised that in realtime while I was filming. WWWO is much more disappointing.
Will, you know me by now. Lists and rankings and stuff soothes me so i was thrilled to see this. More!
You've inspired me to pull the trigger and buy the one that is your fave as it sounds wonderful. I've only read Remains of the Day and that was in college (cripes, about 15 years ago). But even as a know-nothing student, i could tell then that Ishiguro was something special.
Unfortunately, I've seen the Never Let Me Go movie (which i thought was Absolutely Fine but that's all) and not read the book so i know all the secretive goings-on. May read the book anyway!
Love you.
If you read his top three books, you cannot go wrong. I really hope you love An Artist as much as I do!
My ranking worst to best:
9) The Unconsoled
8) Nocturnes
7) An Artist of the Floating World
6) When We Were Orphans
5) Klara and the Sun
4) The Buried Giants
3) The Remains of the Day
2) A Pale View of Hills
1) Never Let Me Go
That was tough, because like you said, all of his books are great. The Unconsoled is the only book by him that I didn't like. Never Let Me Go was the first book I read by him, and one of my favorite books ever.
Miss Kenton is the housekeeper (Remains of the Day) - not a ‘maid or a cook.’
I read Never Let Me Go for GCSE in high school, and had complicated feelings about it because I was forced to read it. But I do miss it, and it was very very clever!
Never let me Go is my favorite by far, but Pale View of Hills made me feel things I had never felt before, so my 2nd favorite. Sad that Klara and the Sun disappointed me😔
I'm sad that Klara disappointed you as well! I loved it :)
Kafka. Oh dear. Read it in college and was not able to “get it” at all. Hopefully all these years later I would be more able to grasp it.
My approach to Kafka is to laugh. His books are so desperately funny. I find the absurdity, the circular nature, and his pathetic characters so laugh-out-loud funny. That's why I adore him so much. So go in ready to laugh. Hope that helps!
The Unconsoled is my favourite Ishiguro novel! I also really like the buried giant :( When we were Orphans is the only Ishiguro I thought was significantly worse than the rest.
I keep hearing that over and over so I really can't wait to read it now. I'll do a video as soon as I have. And yeah while I was editing this together, I remembered how fondly I enjoyed my time with Buried Giant. Orphans really is his weak link.
Frankenstein is your favorite book? You, my friend, are a man after my own heart. Greatest book of all time, bar none.
Couldn't agree more! Obviously it is my fave so I would say that but I can't think of a more "complete" book. I'll have to do a video just gushing about it.
is it terrible I like The Buried Giant more than Never Let Me Go?
Not at all! I look back and think I was overly harsh about The Buried Giant. There are some good articles out there defending it and explaining why it's misunderstood.
i read The Buried Giant as my first read of his works then never read anything else because I didn't get on with that one. I really need to read something else by him.
Omg my favorite novel is Frankenstein too and guess what my favorite author is Kazuo Ishiguro that’s why I’m watching this video right now:>
What wonderful coincidences!
@@WillowTalksBooks yesssss!!
I still haven't read The Remains of the Day. Yes, I know. But I have read Nocturnes. 😉 And Never Let Me Go absolutely destroyed me. After I had finished it, I was singing its praise for months to everyone and thrusted it upon everybody. I didn't like the movie either and fun fact, I don't like Keira Knightley as an actress. But I do like Adam Driver too. 🤗
I don't think she's the greatest actor, either. Although I do love Pirates of the Caribbean with all my heart so I'll always have a soft spot for her. She's also great in Colette. Love that film!
@@WillowTalksBooks Pirates of the Caribbean in hindsight always makes me sad, because with it started the decline of Johnny Depp in my opinion.
@@ameliareads589wasnt it burton?! Burton makes pretty any actor just less interesting and probably is a bad influence?!
But i dont think only burton can be blamed on.
I think I should follow this chronology
I approve of that method
Kazuo forever ❤❤❤ That is so funny, cause The buried giant is my favourite of Ishiguro (I plan to read it again at some point) and I literally just finished An artist of the floating world and it is my least favourite so far. I still haven't read Never let me go and The remains of the day. Keeping it for later.
I should read his books in that order. I like to save the best for last hehe.
A wise choice!
I would be really curious to know why you don't like Andrew Garfield. Your comments on the difference between "best" and "favorite " are interesting.
I like andrew garfield, best spiderman,
I mean i was afraid to watch the movie,but he is a good cast probably?!
Ok i did think toby was a bit, too mild? And i dig andrew as angsty peter that is shown to be smart and a bit edgy and acting out. It just makes it more interesting if i buy the growing up and that strain with ben who has reason to,
Ok garfield is the edgy angsty fun peter that is just more fun to see growing. And ben and his relationship is better for the angst?!
Just a twist on a normal child school life, a big one but has been explored previously. I do believe he’s a brilliant writer, but not good enough to expect everyone to read this book. This occurs when the education system lists certain books, sort of fits into Australia’s left system.
Over the last two years I've seen a lot of support behind The Unconsoled, like people are coming around to it.
I've seen the same! I'm now fully sold on it and excited to give it a go.
Damn.... I came to your video after reading an artist of the floating world.
Is that good?
You need to re-read When We Were Orphans if you think it's not about an unreliable narrator. It's been a few years since I read it too, but the main character basically invented a narrative about how he became an orphan as a coping mechanism.
I for the most part agree with your ranking though.
Wow, yeah, sounds like I really don't remember it that clearly. Perhaps I was the unrealiable narrator all along...
Ik, I finished reading it like 5 minutes ago, I look online to see what other people think and I straight up see 'Actually.... yeah, I think it's probably his worst book'
Yep, agree pretty much with everything you said. I was lucky enough to read NLMG a year before the disappointing film came out. I remember a heated discussion at a book club regarding the recurrent theme of resignation as I see it in his books and whether people are in general resigned to their fate or not. Cannot wait for KATS, roll on 2nd March! 🙂
Yes! The resignation theme is fascinating. The whole "what was our art for?" question in NLMG is so depressing but a genuinely inspiring question all the same.
Never Let Me Go is the only book that has ever made me cry.
I'm not surprised by that at all
You should read monster calls than
T1: Remains/Unconsoled
3: Artist
4: Pale View
5: NLMG
6: Giant
7: Orphans
8: Klara
This was such a good lost until the end :(
@@WillowTalksBooks I've only read Klara once. Perhaps I will warm up to it!
And...now that youve read Klara and the Sun, which place does it slip into your heirachy?
Um, probably 4th? Either tied with or just above A Pale View of Hills.
@@WillowTalksBooks i really need to get to his backlist!!!
Dude, I like you as a RUclips person, and enjoy you videos. But why are you doing this is you haven't read the Unconsoled? It's MY favourite Ishiguro book, one of MY best ever books. Fair enough if you don't rate it, but to have not read it? And then rank his books? I agree with you on the Buried Giant at the bottom of the pile though.
I'm reckless and cruel. Gonna read it soon tho.
I love The Remains of the Day! I need to read your favorite though!
Oh please do! If you loved Remains you'll love Artist, too.
Yay, I LOVE Ishiguro. I started The Buried Giant only yesterday, I did hear mixed things but I don't care, love him and it's the last book of his I haven't read (obviously I'm super excited about his new book). I read The Unconsoled in December, wow, what a weeeird ride that was but I kinda loved it in the end! Yes, it's long and sometimes really frustrating but still, I loved it, I really did, it's so weird though XD I don't think I could make a ranking of his books but yeah for me When we were orphans is the least favourite. I agree, A pale view of hills is not talked about enough! Ah the twist, so good :D
Yeah I actually have much fonder memories of The Buried Giant than Orphans! It's a very sweet and enjoyable tale. Klara can't come soon enough!
@@WillowTalksBooks I've pre-ordered the signed edition of Klara because Ishiguro ^^ but... now I'm scared that due to Brexit I'll get that book reallyyy late...
Isn't Brexit just the gift that keeps on giving?
I really enjoyed Never Let Me Go, but I had watched the movie before reading it and so I think that definitely affected by reading experience. Maybe I would have liked it more if I had known less going in. About to read The Remains of the Day, then Klara when it comes out. After watching this, I’m definitely adding A Pale View of Hills and An Artist of the Floating World to my Ishiguro TBR!
I had the exact same experience. I failed to mention in the video that I put off NLMG until a year ago because of how the film spoiled everything. Really wish I'd read it first! Maybe a re-read will fully wash away the taste of the film.
@@WillowTalksBooks I didn’t have the same issues with the film as you did - I don’t mind Andrew Garfield and I think at the time I really enjoyed the film. I actually want to rewatch it now, lol!
I'm tempted to watch it again too but I refuse to give in! I loved film adaptation of Remains of the Day though!
Ive just bought the buried giant. Lol
Yes, this video is very interesting. That bun looks delicious by the way 😋
The Unconsoled is really amazing in my opinion. It's surreal from start to end and just gets more and more bizarre which is a real turn off for some people.
I keep hearing more and more good things. I'm reading Klara right now and then I think I'll finally get to The Unconsoled.
@@WillowTalksBooks nice I hope your enjoying it. My copy is still in the post but I can't wait to start.
"When We Were Orphans doesn't have an unreliable narrator"
Did we read the same book... that's literally the whole point, he's not a real detective.
Oh aye? *Shrug* been a few years. Guess I forgot.
@@WillowTalksBooks fair. I also didn't enjoy it much while I was reading it, but I thought the ending really twisted everything around and it's grown on me a lot
Compared with Stevens, Downton Abby's Mr. Carson is a blubbering millennial teen who's just discovered this emotions! LOL. 😜 I just read 'Remains', and it struck me that in an odd way Stevens' mind is almost the opposite of the A.F. Klara's mind. Klara's mind is fresh & absorbs what she perceives with great clarity, analyses it from first principles, and then re-arranges her mental landscape to accommodate the new. Stevens' mind has been pre-filled with obstructions, so his perceptions are partially blocked. He then imposes pre-prepared false interpretations on what he does perceive, so that no fresh analysis and mental re-arrangement is ever attempted.
That is a very good point! (The one about Klara vs Stevens; not the one about millennials being teenagers because millennials are all in their 30s now). You've got me wanting to read them both back-to-back now to properly compare them but I really think you're right! What an astute observation! Thanks.
@@WillowTalksBooks I shall try to curb my enthusiasm for 'Snowflake Millennials' jibes in future. (I should never have read Jonathan Haidt) 😜 Just started 'American Gods' on your recommendation. Liking it so far.
I like The Unconsoled and When We Were Orphans the least of his books. I think the Unconsoled has a great idea, but then Ishiguro just doesn't know when or how to stop, and it becomes dizzying and way too long
That's exactly what I'm afraid of! But I've now seen so many people praise it and call it their favourite that I have to take the plunge. Since I've read Klara and the Sun, all that's left is The Unconsoled. It's time...
In true Books and Bao fashion, I'm gonna say I have only read The Remains of the Day and for me it is the best Ishiguro novel. End of. Lol
You need to read the Unconsoled
Check my newer videos for a sec
As Korean, I get mixed feeling with the messages he is trying to send. “Artist” and “Giant” are not easy to digest.
#1 Never Let Me Go
Ha ha I clicked on this video thinking “I wonder where they will rank The Unconsoled” 😄
I’ve got a separate video on it now :)
NOtion brought me here.
What’s that?
You lost me at "My favorite Star Wars movie is The Last Jedi" jaja
Good. Bad taste doesn’t belong on this channel
Nobody likes When were orphans :-( including Ishiguro himself.
I personally think it's great and that narrator cannot be trusted for even one sentence, though maybe that contrary to others like Stevens or Kathy who try to convince themselves, Christopher might actually be convinced that what he's writing is true.
I haven't read Ishiguro but I've come so close to grabbing The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go so many times.
But my main concern from this video: disliking Andrew Garfield??!?! I love him in The Social Network so much. But maybe I've been blinded by that performance this whole time....
I did not expect that to be the spiciest part of this video! I actually haven't seen The Social Network. But I've hated him in so many films! Hacksaw Ridge, Never Let Me Go, Spider-Man, even an episode of Doctor Who. Maybe Silence or The Social Network can convince me.
Nocturnes>>all his novels 😤
Welp, I've now read all his novels and that's all I have left. So I hope you're right!
@@WillowTalksBooks I on the other hand watched Whiplash one day and loved it so much I looked up books similar to it, stumbling on this one blog that had Nocturnes listed. *that* was my introduction to Ishiguro 😭 I've since read The Unconsoled and am currently halfway through Remains of the Day
Maddening.
Aw please don't say that, Chris 💔 I hope you'll find lots of other, less maddening content somewhere else on my channel 😊💜
when we were orphans is all about an unreliable author. what are you talking about? also it's an amazing book.
Yeah someone else already pointed that out a few months ago. Guess the book didn't stick with me so I forgot. Have a good day, friend.
You certainly have butchered a fascinating subject. Ishiguro is one of my favorite authors. Too bad you just rambled on and on about nothing.
Being an anonymous cruel person online is pathetic.
Zero analysis.
Hi Chris! Welcome to my channel 😊 I'm sure you're going to have lots of fun here and you'll be super nice and friendly and chill 💜
This here is a list. They usually don't involve a ton of analysis; they're more of a rundown or ranking of things I enjoy and want to recommend. If you want more Clever Person Analysis, please feel free to browse my other videos and written articles, many of which are painstakingly written to provide as much critical analysis as possible. Hope you have a great day 😊 xxx
I have only read Never Let Me Go. I enjoyed it very much and want to read the rest of his books. I then purchased 5 more of his books, which were all the ones available on bookoutlet.ca where I buy a lot of books. While watching this video, my wife kept yelling at me: "why are you listing to that before you read the books". I could always read The Unconsoled and Nocturnes first to give me more time to forget your descriptions. Most of your videos are great to discover new authors to read. With your Ishiguro and Murakami videos you were talking about books that are already on my to read list, but these videos were still very interesting.